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yānSeptember 28, 2025

鄢姓

The Yan surname, pronounced yān, is an ancient Chinese family name with multiple origins from states, residences, and ethnic groups. Its ancestral regions are Fanyang and Taiyuan Commanderies, and it is now distributed across China, though not among the top 100 surnames.

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The Yan Family Name

Family Name: Yan, Pronunciation: yān

Regions Where the Yan Family Name Is Found**

  • Fanyang Commandery: During the Three Kingdoms period, the Zhao Commandery was renamed Fanyang Commandery by the Wei state. This region is located around present-day Zhuoxian County in Hebei Province, as well as Changping County and Fangshan County in Beijing.
  • Taiyuan Commandery: Established during the Qin dynasty, it was renamed Taiyuan Commandery in the Han dynasty, with its administrative center in Jinyang, located in the southwest of present-day Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province.

Origins of the Yan Family Name**

The Yan family name has multiple origins:

  1. Derived from the You surname, stemming from Qiu Yan, the fourth son of Lu Zhong, a descendant of the ancient emperor Zhuanxu. This origin is related to using the name of a state as a surname.
  2. Derived from the Mi surname, originating from an official of Yan County in the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period. This origin is related to using the name of a residence as a surname.
  3. Derived from the Yiqi surname, stemming from descendants of the ancient emperor Yao. This origin is related to a surname granted by an emperor.
  4. Derived from the Gaoyang surname, originating from descendants of the ancient emperor Zhuanxu through the line of Zhu Rong. This origin is related to using the name of a residence as a surname.
  5. Also derived from the Mi surname, originating from an official of Yan County in the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period. This origin is related to using the name of a residence as a surname.
  6. Derived from the Ji surname, stemming from descendants of King Wen of Zhou and Zhu Rong. This origin is related to using the name of a residence as a surname.
  7. Derived from the Manchu people, during the Jin dynasty from the Wanyan tribe. This origin is related to the Sinicization of a tribal name.
  8. Derived from the Hui ethnic group, resulting from a surname change during the Sinicization process.

Ancestor of the Family Name

Qiu Yan is considered the ancestor of the Yan family. According to legend, Qiu Yan, the fourth son of Lu Zhong (a great-grandson of Emperor Zhuanxu), was granted a fief in the state of Hui, located in the northwest of present-day Xinzheng County, Henan Province. Some of his descendants were later granted a fief in Yan (north of present-day Yanling County, Henan Province), where they established the state of Yan. When the state of Yan was conquered by the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period, the descendants of the Yan ruler continued to use the name of the state as their surname.

Migration and Distribution

The Yan family is an ancient one with multiple ethnic origins. However, its total population does not rank among the top 300 most common surnames in mainland China, and it also ranks 340th in Taiwan Province. The Yan family name is not among the top 100 most common surnames in either mainland China or Taiwan. The Yan family originated from the state of Yan during the early Western Zhou period, with a history of over 2,000 years. Their main ancestral areas include Fanyang Commandery (renamed from Zhao Commandery) and Taiyuan Commandery. There is also a branch of the Yan family in Huitai Township, Jingyuan County, Ningxia, which migrated there between 1871 and 1875 due to war. Notable individuals from this branch include Yan Zhengguo, who served as the county magistrate of Jingyuan County in the 1980s.

The Yan family name is found in various regions across China, including Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, and other southern provinces, as well as in Ningxia, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Xinjiang, and other places. They are also widely distributed in cities such as Enshi, Xiantao, Jianli, Ezhou, Tianmen, Zhongxiang, Hong'an, Laohekou, Fangxian in Hubei; Zhengyang, Zhenping, Xinyang, and Fugou in Henan; Changde, Linli, Xinhua in Hunan; Nanpi, Cangzhou in Hebei; Zouping, Tai'an, Weifang, Weihai in Shandong; Wanan, Ganzhou, Ji'an, Jishui, Fengcheng, Ningdu, Guangfeng, Shangrao, Xingguo in Jiangxi; Jianning, Yongtai in Fujian; Hefei, Huaiyuan, Dongzhi in Anhui; Xinmin in Liaoning; Bazhong, Jingyan, Leshan, Luzhou, Hejiang, Jianyang, Yingshan in Sichuan; Jiulongpo, Liangping, Dazu in Chongqing; and in places in Ningxia, Taiwan, Guangxi, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Hall Names (Tang Hao):

  • Taoyuan Hall: Established based on the ancestral area of Fanyang Commandery.
  • Fanyang Hall: Established based on the ancestral area of Fanyang Commandery.
  • Youyuan Hall: More information is needed.
  • Juching Hall: More information is needed.
  • Yongqing Hall: More information is needed.
  • Zhende Hall: More information is needed.
  • Yanyuan Hall: More information is needed.
  • Chongben Hall: More information is needed.
  • Qianqiu Hall: More information is needed.
  • Xingshun Hall: More information is needed.